- October 5, 2026 Social Justice
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Louis Province stands with the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski and Fr. Chris Schroeder in the federal lawsuit they filed Oct. 5 to defend the religious liberty of Catholics held at the Ste. Genevieve Detention Center, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Priests who go to minister at the detention center are not permitted to hear confessions, offer Communion or celebrate Mass, and clergy visits are limited to four hours a week. Lawyers and consular officials are allowed far more access. The Church is not asking for special treatment, only the same access, so that priests can bring the sacraments to the people who are asking for them.
In March, our sisters joined representatives of the Archdiocese, other religious congregations and people of faith at a prayer vigil outside the jail. For men and women facing the hardest days of their lives, separated from their families, often far from home and uncertain of what comes next, the loss of the sacraments imposes real and immediate harm. Access to the sacraments is a matter of religious liberty and human dignity, and it should not end at a jail door.
"Our congregation was founded to move always toward love of God and love of neighbor without distinction. The dear neighbor in detention is no less our neighbor. We are grateful to Archbishop Rozanski, Father Schroeder and the Archdiocese for taking this stand, and to the volunteers, sisters, priests and pen pals who have been showing up at Ste. Genevieve all along. As our bishops have said to our immigrant families: you are not alone."
— Sister Maureen Freeman, CSJ, on behalf of the St. Louis Province Leadership Team
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At the Ste. Genevieve Detention Center, Catholic priests are not allowed to hear confessions, offer Communion or celebrate Mass for the people held there. On Oct. 5, the Archdiocese of St. Louis filed a federal lawsuit to restore that access.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet invite congregations of women and men religious to sign an open letter supporting the Archdiocese and the detained Catholics who are asking for the sacraments. Together, we can tell our immigrant brothers and sisters: you are not alone.
Please sign by October 30.
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News Coverage
- Archdiocese files federal lawsuit over restrictions preventing priests from administering sacraments in Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center (St. Louis Review)
- Catholic diocese sues US government seeking clergy access to detainees (Reuters)
- St. Louis Archdiocese sues ICE for blocking communion to detainees (St. Louis Post Dispatch)
- Archdiocese of St. Louis sues ICE officials over blocked religious services (Fox 2)